U of A hires facilitators to tackle admin overload

The Univ of Alberta is using a portion of its new funding for the indirect costs of research to reduce the administrative burden associated with grant applications. The U of A has already hired six of 10 research facilitators to be located within specific faculties. They are part of a larger plan to overcome challenges associated with a dramatic increase in sponsored research funding, which has grown more than 90% since 1996 to $304 million in 2002. Within two years, 25 research administration support staff will also be hired. The research facilitators will also work with the federal granting agencies to improve grant application processes….